ADO McGuinness has successfully captured many of the country’s premier handicaps, but the Tote Irish Cambridgeshire (4.15) has eluded him thus far. Could that all be about to change this afternoon?

Pierre Royal ran out an impressive premier handicap winner on Irish Derby day for the big-pot-specialist trainer and he is bound to have another big say after two excellent runs in defeat at the Galway Festival, finishing second over a mile and fourth over seven furlongs in premier company.

Speaking to The Irish Field ahead of the €100,000 feature, McGuinness said: “I’m very happy with Pierre Royal. He’s an improving horse, lightly raced and, even though I know it’s a very hard race to win, I wouldn’t swap him for anything.

“We gave him an easy couple of weeks after Galway and he looks in good form. With hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have run him the second time at Galway, but we took our chance and I suppose he still ran well. There’s no point in being a hurler on the ditch after the event! We’re hoping he’ll run a very big race on Saturday.”

McGuinness will also be represented by a dangerous candidate down the bottom of the weights, Galway Festival second Johnny Soda. The in-form three-year-old is technically 3lb out of the handicap, but has the benefit of promising apprentice Reese Holohan’s 7lb claim.

“He could be a dark horse,” said McGuinness.

“This is one of the first big handicaps of the year where the three-year-olds can really be competitive with the older horses and I’m hoping he will be.

“We’ve gone close in this race before, but it’s probably one of the only premier handicaps we haven’t managed to win yet. We’d love to be able to do it.”

There will be some international flair to proceedings at Irish flat racing headquarters today, with world-class jockey Christophe Soumillon coming to town for two rides in a pair of Group 3s. The recognisable green and white colours of the Thoroughbred Racing Corporation Ltd were in winning form at the Curragh last weekend, when Green Empress recorded Group 2 honours, and they have called on the brilliant Belgian for their two representatives today.

He partners Where Love Lives in the Group 3 Heider Family Stables Round Tower Stakes (3.03). A two-year-old colt by Cotai Glory, Where Love Lives won twice for trainer Kevin Ryan before being acquired by his new Saudi-backed owners and moved to Donnacha O’Brien. On his first start for new connections, he finished fourth in the Group 2 Richmond Stakes at Goodwood.

John and Thady Gosden are rare visitors to Ireland, so their supplementary entry this week with Miss Scott - Soumillon’s other mount for the same owners - in the Group 3 Snow Fairy Fillies Stakes (3.40) looks notable. Her latest listed second at Salisbury was a promising effort.

It looks like an excellent edition of the aforementioned Round Tower Stakes, headlined by the presence of Ballydoyle’s unbeaten Royal Ascot scorer, Great Barrier Reef.

This clash against talented two-year-olds such as Livenka (Ger Lyons), Velozee (Paddy Twomey) and Push The Boat Out (Michael O’Callaghan) promises to be a stern test on his first start since landing the Coventry Stakes - a Group 2 win that means he carries a 5lb penalty.

“He was ready to run in France last week [in the Prix Morny], but he just wasn’t quite right,” said Aidan O’Brien.

“The plan was, given he’d had three quite quick runs early in the season, to give him a break through the summer and bring him back for the big races in the autumn. We’ve been thinking of the Middle Park for him and we just thought it was quite a long time between runs if he hadn’t run since the Coventry, so we’ve just been trying to get another run into him.

“We’re not sure what his best trip is yet, we’ll see as we go along, but he could stay a bit further.”

O’Brien, Ryan Moore and the Coolmore partners are also represented by immaculately-bred two-year-old So Lovely in the Group 3 Newtownanner Stud Irish EBF Stakes (1.53). The trainer said of his recent Leopardstown maiden winner: “She’s improving with every race and did it nicely the last day. She looked more at home over a mile and, given her pedigree, you’d think she’d improve the further she goes.”

The concluding Pat Smullen Cancer Trials Ireland Charity Race (5.25), supported by Ballylinch Stud, is usually one of the feel-good moments of the season at the Curragh and a field of 19 has been declared for the fundraising contest.

What an excellent ride Nina Carberry has picked up for her riding comeback, in the shape of last year’s Galway Hurdle winner Ndaawi, trained by Gordon Elliott.

The Grade 1-placed and twice Cheltenham Festival-placed hurdler is officially a three-time winner on the flat with a rating of 90, and he showed his wellbeing on the level two starts ago when winning a conditions race at Listowel for owners Easyfix.

Best of luck to all involved in a terrific initiative on an important day for Cancer Trials Ireland.